Principles Of Stable Isotope Fractionation During Anaerobic Respiration

This textbook is a complete rewrite, and expansion of Hugh Rollinson's highly successful 1993 book Using Geochemical Data: Evaluation, Presentation, Interpretation. Rollinson and Pease's new book covers the explosion in geochemical thinking over the past three decades, as new instruments and techniques have come online. It provides a comprehensive overview of how modern geochemical data are used in the understanding of geological and petrological processes. It covers major element, trace element, and radiogenic and stable isotope geochemistry. It explains the potential of many geochemical techniques, provides examples of their application, and emphasizes how to interpret the resulting data. Additional topics covered include the critical statistical analysis of geochemical data, current geochemical techniques, effective display of geochemical data, and the application of data in problem solving and identifying petrogenetic processes within a geological context. It will be invaluable for all graduate students, researchers, and professionals using geochemical techniques.

(Parent with price) Volume I contains subjective reviews, specialized and novel technique descriptions by guest authors. Part 1 includes contributions on purely analytical techniques and Part 2 includes matters such as development of mass spectrometers, stability of ion sources, standards and calibration, correction procedures and experimental methods to obtain isotopic fractionation factors.Volume II will be available in 2005.

Carbon isotope fractionation during the anaerobic degradation of acetate.

The Biological Fractionation of Isotopes focuses on the biological fractionation of isotopes and presents calculations of the thermodynamic isotopic beta factor for polyatomic carbon compounds. This book provides experimental and theoretical evidence of the phenomenon of thermodynamically ordered distribution of isotopes in biological systems. This book consists of 12 chapters and opens with an overview of the causes of fractionation of isotopes, along with concepts such as isotopic composition and isotopic effects. The discussion then turns to the isotopic composition of the carbon of organisms; a method of calculating the thermodynamic isotopic factors of polyatomic compounds; and results of experimental investigations of intermolecular and intramolecular isotopic effects. A theoretical model of biological fractionation of isotopes is also described. The following chapters explore the regularities of the biological distribution of isotopes and present the results of some biochemical experiments, including the enzymatic decarboxylation of pyruvate and microbiological oxidation of ethanol to acetic acid. In addition, the geologic aspects of thermodynamically ordered isotopic distributions in biological products are analyzed. This monograph will be of interest to biologists, geochemists, analytical chemists, and geologists.

The goal for Volume 55 of Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry was to bring together a summary of the isotope geochemistry of non-traditional stable isotope systems as is known through 2003 for those elements that have been studied in some detail, and which have a variety of geochemical properties. In addition, recognizing that many of these elements are of interest to workers who are outside the traditional stable isotope fields, we felt it was important to include discussions on the broad isotopic variations that occur in the solar system, theoretical approaches to calculating isotopic fractionations, and the variety of analytical methods that are in use. We hope, therefore, that this volume proves to be useful to not only the isotope specialist, but to others who are interested in the contributions that these non-traditional stable isotopes may make toward understanding geochemical and biological cycles. The review chapters in this volume were the basis for a two-day short course on nontraditional stable isotopes held prior (May 15-16, 2004) to the spring AGU/CGU Meeting in Montreal, Canada.

A guide to understanding the formation of life in the Universe The revised and updated second edition of Astrobiology offers an introductory text that explores the structure of living things, the formation of the elements required for life in the Universe, the biological and geological history of the Earth, and the habitability of other planets. Written by a noted expert on the topic, the book examines many of the major conceptual foundations in astrobiology, which cover a diversity of traditional fields including chemistry, biology, geosciences, physics, and astronomy. The book explores many profound questions such as: How did life originate on Earth? How has life persisted on Earth for over three billion years? Is there life elsewhere in the Universe? What is the future of life on Earth? Astrobiology is centered on investigating the past and future of life on Earth by looking beyond Earth to get the answers. Astrobiology links the diverse scientific fields needed to understand life on our own planet and, potentially, life beyond. This new second edition: Expands on information about the nature of astrobiology and why it is useful Contains a new chapter “What is Life?” that explores the history of attempts to understand life Contains 20% more material on the astrobiology of Mars, icy moons, the structure of life, and the habitability of planets New ‘Discussion Boxes’ to stimulate debate and thought about key questions in astrobiology New review and reflection questions for each chapter to aid learning New boxes describing the careers of astrobiologists and how they got into the subject Offers revised and updated information throughout to reflect the latest advances in the field Written for students of life sciences, physics, astronomy and related disciplines, the updated edition of Astrobiology is an essential introductory text that includes recent advances to this dynamic field.